Abstract

Arthritis patients living in a rural town are thought to have more problems in terms of life stress, social support, and depression than those living in an urban city. But there were few studies which investigated the status of arthritis patients living in a rural town. This study investigated how much life stress they got, which life events were perceived as stress, what kind of social support were most perceived, and how much they were depressed. Fifty six arthritis patients were surveyed using structured questionnaire. Life stress, social support, and depression were assessed using the following scales: Life changes scale, Duke's short scale to measure social support, and CES-D(Center for Epidemiologic Study- Depression), respectively. They were found to perceive life stress in home-work, health and work, in order. And they were found to perceive relatively good social support. But they sot most of social support from their family members especially their spouses and children. Lastly, it was found that they were moderately depressed. Based upon these results, it is suggested that integrative rehabilitation programs which provide professional support and reduce depression are necessary for arthritis patients living in rural towns.

Keywords

• arthritis;
• life stress;
• social support;
• depression

• 관절염;
• 생활스트레스;
• 사회적지지;
• 우울;